Re: VOIP (was: Since we were speaking of Gmail....)

So you'd rather give confidential information out on a phone that I can 
hook up a 40 year old appliance to your outside wall telco jack, or a 
neighborhood telephone pole, and listen in on the conversation?  And who's 
to say that the phone companies local exchange doesn't pipe that out on 
the same wires used for data transmission and thus available to all the 
newer technology out there?  If the federal government can monitor 
traditional phone calls for word phrases like "osama is our brother" who's 
to say that nefarious individuals couldn't do the same for "expiration 
date", strings of numbers, etc?

In the US anyone peddling themselves as a phone company (like vonage) can 
only scramble calls to the point that the government allows them.  Now, if 
you buy a different package and do VOIP without the ability to dial any 
number you want, you can scramble to your hearts content.

Rob Berendt